One year ago, the popular NFL draft talk was, “Wait until 2024 when Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are eligible,” if you needed a quarterback. Well, we are three weeks away from the 2024 NFL draft, and Williams is the unquestioned favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears.
However, Maye isn’t the unquestioned leader to go No. 2 to the Washington Commanders. Yes, Washington needs a quarterback, but Jayden Daniels’ ascension during his final college season changed everything.
That’s not to say Washington will not draft Maye — he’s firmly in the mix — but it’s far from a slam dunk. Oddsmakers had positioned Daniels as the favorite to go No. 2 overall until this week when things trended toward Maye.
What does it mean? Nothing, of course. However, the biggest question is why has Maye become so polarizing? You have one former NFL player saying he would not draft Maye in the first round, while another former NFL player calls Maye his sixth-ranked quarterback.
Social media is all over the place on Maye, with many preferring Daniels.
Here’s something to remember: Social media doesn’t influence NFL teams. Neither do media GMs.
What do real NFL executives think about Maye?
According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, multiple NFL executives believe Maye has the highest upside of any quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, with some even believing he has the highest upside of any player.
“I’ve heard from multiple league execs he has the most upside of any of the quarterbacks in this draft, maybe any player in this draft,” Fowler said of Maye on a recent edition of Sportscenter, via Bleacher Report.
“He’s got that Josh Allen, Justin Herbert build — I’m not saying he’s them but he’s got some of those shades — where if you can let him sit for a year behind the scenes, he can really develop into an All-Star.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Maye mentioned alongside Allen and Herbert. And no one is saying the North Carolina star will be the next Herbert or Allen, but the size, athleticism, and arm talent have the NFL excited about Maye.
Is Washington one of those teams?